Cancer is one of the most fearful of diseases, and causes pain, suffering and death all over the world. To treat and prevent cancer is one of the most common research subjects for science and doctors. We all hope that one day we can conquer this fatal illness and make human life better and longer. And although Western medicine has advanced a great deal in treating cancer, there is still a long way to go in achieving this goal.
So how has Chinese Medicine treated cancer for the past thousands of years? And how does it work? How can we prevent the cancer? Can people in the west use Chinese medicine at the same time asreceiving normal hospital treatment?
In order to answer these questions we have to firstly explain how Chinese Medicine sees cancer, or to put it more explicitly, WHAT exactly is CANCER according to Chinese medicine?
So what are cancers? That depends on how you look at them. According to western medicine cancers are body cells growing or reproducing incorrectly, which causes them to be faulty cells. These faulty cells often form lumps or tumours which continue to grow at the expense of healthy body tissue. Eventually the lumps or tumours can destroy body organs and cause death. Since the problem is caused by these malfunctioning cells, the focus of western medicine is on targeting these cells and eradicating them. This is done by removal(i.e. Surgical operation), or burning them off (i.e. Radiotherapy), or killing or poisoning them (i.e. Chemotherapy). This makes sense in some ways. But there is one major problem and that is often these faulty cells return again after the treatment. The problem is simply that western medicine is only dealing with the existing or tangible malfunctioning cells and is not addressing whatever is causing these cells to malfunction. Just like when we cut the grass or burn the grass in the field and next year it grows back again. This is because the roots of the grass are still alive beneath the surface, in the same way that the root of the problem the cancerous cells is also still there. So from this angle, these treatments do not make sense or at least not very good sense.
In Chinese medicine we think of cancer not as a single disease, but as a illness of the whole body, or at least a system breakdown. We look at cancer cells as part of a manifestation of whole body being ill. To treat the whole body is far more important than just to treat the cancer cells. In fact, in Chinese Medicine we even don’t have a universal name “CANCER”. There are about over 50 different diseases described as similar to the cancer.
The forming of cancer is always the result of various weaknesses of the body, mostly the vital QI (or energy) depletion. This could be the kidney qi, liver qi or spleen qi etc in Chinese medicine. Cancer patients will also invariably have various degrees of stagnation of the Qi and blood, and also often have excessive toxins such as phlegm and mucus in the body.
In short, the real problem of cancer is not the specific change of the body’s cells, but a system wide malfunctioning within the body. These systems include various types of qi and blood as well as organs. This is equivalent to the immune system, blood circulation and malfunction of some organs such as kidney and liver or spleen in western medicine.
Chinese Medicine doctors have been treating cancer for thousands of years not by targeting the cancerous cells but by treating the whole of the body. We strengthen the patient’s qi and blood to help the body clear the cancer itself. People often ask us “if you do not physically remove the tumour how can you clear the cancer or where does it go?”
Because of this theory, for thousands of years to treat cancers with Chinese medicine we focus on the body rather than bad cells. We strengthen the patient’s qi and blood to help the body to clear the cancer itself. People often ask us if you do not physically remove the tumour how you can clear them or where can they go. The answer is simple. They come from nowhere and go nowhere, or they go where they come from.
In Chinese medicine strengthening a patients’ body will involve a comprehensive regime including herbal medicines, acupuncture, diet, and special exercises. All of these therapies must be based on Chinese medicine philosophy and diagnosis. Of couse the experiences of individual doctors can also be vital.
Nowadays many patients are already receiving western medical treatment before starting Chinese medicine and worry if they can work together. In fact this is a very normal practice in China. The patients receive both therapies together in hospital from the very beginning. Particularly some of the side effects from the chemotherapy and radiotherapy such as low white blood cell account or sickness can be very much reduced by some herbs or diet. For example the herb called Astragalus is proven to raise the white blood cell count by many studies both in China and the west.
In Chinese Medicine herbs are often used to tackle the cancer directly. Sometimes TCM doctors have to use very strong remedies which can cause drastic effects such as vomiting, diarrhea or others. Doctors should always inform the patient of this beforehand. Normally these herbs are safe and the side effects not long lasting.
Even if we have the best medicines, from the east or west, to treat cancer, it is still not good, because we prefer not to have cancer in the first place. So prevention is more important than treatment. The theory and knowledge and wisdom about life style, food and emotions, in Chinese medicine, has so much to offer. Many herbal supplements have been proven to be very good for the immune system and are becoming a part of the daily intake for millions people around the world. For example the herb called Linzhi is Chinese people’s first choice for helping and protecting the liver.
Professor Song Ke
TCM Consultant & Principal Asante Academy
For more information on Chinese Medicine visit the Asante website
http://www.asante-academy.com/
